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Sherman County eNews #119

CONTENT

“Sticks in Stacks” at Sherman County Public/School Library Thursday, May 5

The “Pans on Fire!” 4-H Outdoor Cooking & Food Preservation Club News

One Day Craft & Hobbies Book Sale, Goldendale Library, May 14

Author Orice Klaas/Once Upon a Convent, May 17

Sherman County Public/School Library Book Club, May 24

No Free Sugary Beverage Refills Policy Being Adopted by Most Local Restaurants

U.S. Rep. Walden introduces plan to protect Crooked River Ranch from wildfire

Vote for Baker City, a Finalist for Budget Travel Magazine’s Coolest Small Town

Links: Things to Think About & Things to Do

1.Sticks in Stacks” at Sherman County Public/School Library, May 5

Social crafting starts at 6:00 p.m. every Thursday. Instructional assistance for knit, crochet, and spinning will be available at 7:00 p.m. Bring your knitting, crochet, spinning, quilting, or cross-stitch projects. All fiber arts are welcome. For further information about this program please contact Sherman County Public/School Library at (541) 565-3279. Library website: www.scpslibrary.wix.com/scpsl.

The “Pans on Fire!” 4-H Outdoor Cooking & Food Preservation club met on Monday April 25 at 3:45pm at the Extension Office in Moro. Attending were: Isabella, Izabella, Maddie, Shelby and Talon. Excused absences were Emma and Pyeper. Pledge of Allegieance led by Shelby, 4-H Pledge led by Isabella. During the meeting, we chose our club name “Pans On Fire!” We reviewed what all we did for our first and second meetings. We went outside and made grilled cheese, meatball, eggs and pancakes (on DIY brick stoves and a metal rocket stove). Then we drew and designed our own rocket stove. We made presentations about our own stove we designed. Our next meeting will be next month. Meeting adjourned at 5:20pm. ~ Submitted by Isabella Lynn Mills, News Reporter

3. Craft & Hobbies $1 Book Sale, Goldendale Library, May 14

On Saturday, May 14th, the Friends of the Goldendale Library will be holding a one-day book sale featuring over 1500 excellent-quality books on crafts, hobbies and cooking. The hours of the sale run from 10am to 4pm, downstairs at the Goldendale Library. Hobbyists will find books on quilting, beading, silk painting, cooking, knitting, jewelry making and much more. Everything is just $1.00 per book.

This book sale will have exclusively craft, hobby and cooking books for adults. Shoppers can look forward to the Community Days Book Sale on July 8th and 9th for a wider selection, including children’s books. This special sale is the result of a large and generous community donation of craft books. The Friends of the library generally hold three book sales per year, in March, July and November.

4. Author Orice Klaas Reading from Once Upon a Convent, May 17

Orice Klaas will be at the Sherman County Public/School Library on Tuesday, May 17 at 6:00pm. She will read from her recently published book, Once Upon a Convent. Providing a unique glimpse into her nineteen years as a young nun, her story is an inside view of convents during the late 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, a period of major upheaval in the Church. Copies of the book will be available at the Reading, or can be purchased on Amazon in paperback or kindle. Refreshments will be served. For further information about this program please contact Sherman County Public/School Library at (541) 565-3279. Library website: www.scpslibrary.wix.com/scpsl.

5. Sherman County Public/School Library Book Club, May 24

The Library Book Club will be meeting at 6:00pm, May 24. Please join us for discussion of “Juliet’s Nurse” and refreshments, even if you haven’t read the book! Call 541-565-3279 or e-mail shermanlibrary@sherman.k12.or.us to request a hold on our June/July book, “The Lake House” by Kate Morton.

6. No Free Sugary Beverage Refills Policy Being Adopted by Most Local Restaurants

The Coalition to Reduce Childhood Obesity is announcing the successful roll-out of the “Fit in Beverage” Program. Community restaurants throughout Sherman, Gilliam, and Wasco Counties are voluntarily adopting a policy of charging for refills of sugary soda, energy drinks, and other sugary beverages.

This program, being administered by North Central Public Health District with financial support by the Eastern Oregon CCO, is in response to the study funded by Columbia Gorge CCO that found 40% of our area school-aged children were at an unhealthy weight. The national average is around 25%. This voluntary participation, to address unhealthy weight, is quite unique and may be the first in the nation to do so.

Beginning in May, the restaurants that have joined the “Fit in Beverage” Program can be identified by window stickers near their front doors. They will also display table tents with information about the “5-2-1-0” Program, a program that’s being adopted throughout the US. One of the main focuses of the “5-2-1-0” Program is to successfully achieve healthy weight in a community through drinking less sugary beverages.

The North Central Public Health District Board of Health members have supported this program and were presented with the following list of restaurants that have joined the ‘Fit in Beverage” program at their March 8th, 2016 meeting. North Central Public Health District, the NCPHD Board of Health, and the Coalition to Reduce Childhood Obesity, encourage the community to support these restaurants.

Country Cafe, Grass Valley

Bob’s Texas T-Bone, Rufus

The Bulldog Diner, Rufus

Lean To Cafe & Goose Pit Saloon, Wasco

Happy Canyon Pizza Parlor, Arlington

Pat’s Pheasant Grill, Arlington

River’s Edge Deli & BBQ, Arlington

Gubby’s, Condon

WE3 Coffee & Deli, Dufur

The Riverside, Maupin

Molly B’s Diner, Tygh Valley

Canton Wok, The Dalles

Casa El Mirador, The Dalles

Ixtapa, The Dalles

La Cabana, The Dalles

Montira’s Thai Cuisine, The Dalles

Petite Province, The Dalles

Tacos Del Rio, The Dalles

Tijuana, The Dalles

For more information, please contact North Central Public Health District at (541) 506-2600 or visit us on the web at http://www.ncphd.org.

7. U.S. Rep. Walden introduces plan to protect Crooked River Ranch from wildfire

BEND — U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) announced today that he has proposed a plan in the U.S. House—the “Crooked River Ranch Fire Protection Act” (H.R. 5132)—to protect Crooked River Ranch from wildfire by adjusting the boundary of the adjacent wilderness study area. For a copy of the bill, please click here.

“In the area surrounding Crooked River Ranch, the juniper stands and brush are dense and basic fire prevention management isn’t being done because of misguided federal land policies. As we enter another fire season, people’s lives, safety, and property are at risk. This has to change,” Walden said. “That’s why I’ve introduced a plan to allow more management on public lands in the area to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire. I’m glad the plan is already moving forward in the House. It’s just common sense.”

Crooked River Ranch is an unincorporated community of about 5,500 residents in Jefferson County (with one entrance and exit to the community). The lands adjacent to the community are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and are classified as a Wilderness Study Area (WSA). These lands are in the highest risk category for exposure to devastating wildfire due to overstocked juniper stand under the federally mandated and locally promulgated Jefferson County Community Wildfire Protection Plan. And the current WSA classification prevents mechanical fire prevention activities within these overstocked juniper stands.

Walden’s bill would adjust the boundaries of the WSA in order to better facilitate fire prevention activities on public lands and the adjacent private property.

Local leaders praised the bill. “With approximately 5,500 residents and the driest climate in Oregon, Crooked River Ranch is constantly facing the issue of wildfire. The current Deschutes Wilderness Study Area boundary borders approximately 250 properties on the west boundary of the Ranch. With only one exit on and off the Ranch our concerns in the face of a catastrophic fire event are real. This bill would move that WSA boundary back to the natural canyon rim and allow our firefighters an opportunity to plan for mitigation in advance and realistically fight the fire before it’s in our backyards and spreading to the rest of the Ranch,” said George (Mitch) Mitchener, President of the Board of Directors of Crooked River Ranch.

“I want to thank Greg Walden for his efforts to save lives and property in Central Oregon. This legislation will move the boundary away from private properties and allow us to work with the Bureau of Land Management to begin the process of fuels mitigation to further improve defensible space for our community of over 2,600 properties. The lack of fuel mitigation has created a dangerous environment for tactical firefighting and remains one of our highest threats to Crooked River Ranch. Until proper mitigation is performed, it is unlikely we would place firefighters in such a volatile atmosphere. Our first line of defense today is the property boundaries of our home owners,” said Rich Hoffmann, Fire Chief for Crooked River Ranch.

In January, Walden met with community leaders at Crooked River Ranch to learn more about the need for changes to federal land management policy to better facilitate wildfire mitigation.

8. Vote for Baker City, a Finalist for Budget Travel Magazine’s Coolest Small Town